“To all who come to this happy place, welcome!” – Walt Disney
Ever since Walt Disney said those words on Disneyland’s opening day, it has been a guiding principle. Recently a Disneyland character performer proved that no matter who you are or how differently abled you may be, at Disney, you are welcome!
Shang-Chi was roaming around Disneyland Avengers Campus when he met a guest named Lili Jae. Lili is deaf, and Shang-Chi surprised her by signing with her. One TikToker caught the heartwarming experience on camera and shared it with the world.
We love that Lili was all smiles as she excitedly conversed with Shang-Chi in ASL (American Sign Language). Shang told her he was not perfect at sign language, but he was learning. The pair discussed language learning, and with just a little help from Lili’s travel companion, Shang-Chi was able to tell her that ASL was his favorite language to learn. You can check out the whole exchange in the video below:
@0.hey.howdy.hey.0 Everyone! Stop what you’re doing, and watch the magic that is Shang Chi!✨🤟🏾💜 @disneyparks #inclusionmatters #representationmatters #signlanguage #marveltok #disneytiktok
I’m not crying, you’re crying. Ok…it’s me. I’m definitely crying. I just love stories like this and seeing people who are typically left out of society be included. That is Disney Magic, my friends, and it is alive and well! Shang never broke character. It was magical to see a character perform his role in different circumstances.
Recently we shared the story of another character, Queen Anna, who signed with an 11-year-old girl and made her day. Stories like these prove what it’s all about. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutia and bogged down, but the real magic comes from making once-in-a-lifetime experiences for all guests, no matter who they are.
Disney works hard to be inclusive to guests of all abilities, and guests at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World can receive sign language interpreters as well as attend sign language interpreted shows! For more information about services at Disneyland, click here. For Walt Disney World, click here.
